21 June 2007

A "going-to-work outfit" consists of either a dress (wrap, sheath or shift), a blouse and skirt (no shorter than an inch above the knee), a blouse and trousers, or a blouse and jeans (dark-wash, straight-legged).

What do we know?

1. Today's weather: high-80s, relatively low humidity and chance of precipitation later in the day.

2. Because the woman stayed up way too late last night watching Terminator 2: Judgment Day on the Encore Action channel, she was forced to (1) get fewer than seven hours of sleep (2) take an abbreviated shower (i.e. no shaving or exfoliating) and most painfully, (3) skip her and her dog's usual throw-the-squeaky-platypus-egg-while CHI-ing her Posh-bob routine.

3. Because the woman stayed up way too late last night eating half a bag of baked cheddar Chex Mix and two cans of diet ginger ale, her stomach feels not-so-good this morning.

4. The woman does not have a client meeting today.

What should she wear?

due to heat, all heavy fabrics are eliminated

due to stubble, all sleeveless and leg-baring options are eliminated

due to Chex Mix tummy, all super fitted and Spanx-requiring options are eliminated

due to no-client-interface, a dressier ensemble is not required

And just like that, 9/10 of the wardrobe is deemed ineligible, leaving the woman with one pair of grey wide-legged trousers, one pair of high-waisted black palazzo pants, two pairs of non-skinny jeans, a series of light pink, light blue, white, and cherry-print oxford shirts, two cap-sleeved cowl-necked shells in cranberry and ivory, and a mocha bead-detailed pouf-sleeved peasant blouse.

Whittling down the options even further, she recalls the grey pants are now a size too big, decides the high-waisted palazzo pants will accentuate her distendedness, determines cap-sleeves are too close to sleeveless, and rightly so, deems the pouf-sleeved blouse too "weekend" for the work-day.

So jeans, a button-down and heels (of course) it is. But which ones? The black Joe's Socialites or indigo AG Angels? And on top, is it the preppy Hamptonite pink, law-student-looking blue, journalist-on-assignment white, or northern-Michigan-reminiscent cherry-print?

The woman turns to shoes both for inspiration and because, well, she loves shoes. She hones in on a pair of caramel brown round-toed pumps with deconstructed side-bow adornment. Brown shoes mean her garnet studs and indigo jeans -- finally, it's down to the shirt. Because of her time crunch, she needs to make a swift and final decision.

She needs his opinion.

After modeling each one - and doing the full-twirl he uncompromisingly requires - the subtle left head-tilt indicates a clear winner with the cherry-print.

And that is a glimpse into the multi-variable logic game that is a woman's - this woman's, anyway - "what do I wear today?" daily decision-making process.

Yes, very true. The self-esteem issue is very true. Thank goodness there are women like this who love themselves enough to take care of themselves and proudly show it off to the world (through clothes, manicured hands/feet, that kind of hair that makes people stop and ask who did it). Thank goodness.

What do you do with your hair when you go running? I'm contemplating a similar cut, the only thing holding me back is that it appears to require too much styling considering that I would be ruining it every night at the gym.

so funny you ask about that, because I've gone through about 10 different "styles" for the gym in the past 6 days. What I've found works best for me, is to essentially rock the Tom Cruise from "The Last Sumurai" and then a skinny cloth headband to catch any last flyaways. It's not pretty and the hair on the back of my neck sticks uncomfortably, but so far, that's the best I've come up with.

Not being able to ponytail your hair is a serious drawback to the short bob, but it is still, in my view, worth the trouble.

The Concept

Each day, with old man candor, I'll offer my brand of style counsel to the professional DC women who believe a serious job is a valid excuse for an ill-fitted, office inappropriate, comfort first work wardrobe. And when the mood strikes me, which is often, I'll also muse about celebrity fashion and my own fashion-related comings and goings, both of which, I'm sure, are of great interest to you.